The Beta Team
by BarnCat23
Summary: Two years after the ending of 'Young Justice'. There are other teams assembled by the original team: Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Zeta. They act as flies on walls, gathering Intel on criminals that pelage the world, so the Heroes can save the day. well, they're done hiding and doing the dirty work. (OC's are the main characters)
1. Chapter 1

**The Beta Team, Episode 1**

**No matter how hard I try on a mission, I get stuck on Beta team every time. You'd think by now I would have moved up in the ranks, but no. the exact opposite. I mean, I love the witty banter and flirtatious conversations, but my skills have been improving so I should be moving **_**up**_**.  
The Beta and Alpha teams are starting warm-ups when I walk into the training gym. Jinnifer looks up, her blonde curls bouncing left and right, and smiles. I return the smile and join the Beta team on the sparring mat. Gideon and T-bone are doing hand-to-hand while Stephanie stretches. I hold a pony tail holder between my teeth while I gather my hair up. "Hey, Chloe," T-bone says, ducking a kick from Gideon. "Finally showed up." He lands a hit on Gideon's jaw. I wrap the pony tail holder around my hair and dodge the boys' kicks as I make my way to Stephanie. She's doing a complete split while she reads a poetry book. I sit on a bench beside her and nudge her shoulder. "You get in any practice?" I ask. She slowly shakes her head and turns the page. I sigh and walk to the edge of the mat. I whistle and the boys stop for a second to look at me. "Are the girls going to get some practice before the next mission or what?" I put my hands on my hips and glance between the two of them. Gideon walks off the mat and sits on the bench. "He's all yours" he says. T-bone gives his usual lop-sided grin he only uses when I train with him. I sigh and take my ready stance on the mat. We stare each other down for a second then act quickly. In my head I calculate three steps ahead based on his fighting skills and make accurate kicks and punches accordingly. T-bone just wings it with a right hook that I move light on my feet to dodge. I spin and send my heel into his jaw. He takes a step back and touches the bruise already forming. He shakes his head and comes back with attack pattern C. it's the easiest of all the attack patterns and I block every punch, kick, and even land some hits of my own.  
We keep blocking each other until he tries to hit me again. I grab his arm and twist it behind his back, kick the back of his knees so he's on the ground, and pin him on his stomach. "Okay…you got me" he says, struggling against my grip. I let go and jump back as he gets up. He holds up his hand and we high-five. I sit on the bench next to Gideon and gulp water from my water bottle. I put my water down and wipe my chin with my wrist. "When are they gonna bump us up? We've been training for our whole lives and we're **_still_** not on Alpha" I say. T-bone leans against the wall to the right of the bench and shrugs. "They'll just keep testing us with bogie missions until they think we're good enough." **

"**We are good enough, though." **

"**Not our call, Chloe. You know that" he says. **

"**It just stinks. We work our butts off, and for what?" **

"**A purpose? A life? Gee, that's not an up-side to this." I glare at him until Stephanie stands and shoves her book into her backpack. "You guys have fun, I've got school work to catch up on" she says, walking to the door. She leaves and the door wings on its duel-hinges. It's quiet in the gym until Alpha team starts their next round of hand-to-hand. "Chloe! Hey, Chloe, could you come here?" I crane my neck around to see who is calling me. Gabriel from Alpha team gestures for me to come over to their mat. I sigh and walk over next to him. He clasps a hand on my shoulder and says, "I need you to help me demonstrate your Beta-team-skill to the Alpha team. Can you do that?" **

"**When **_can't_** I?" I ask. He smiles—a rare thing in the Alpha team—and positions me in sparring distance from him. The rest of Alpha team—Eddie, Harper, Jonah, and Alainna—line up off the mat to watch. "Move C-three" Gabriel says. I nod and brace myself. I'm known for my quick reactions but I'm still nervous about it. It's an Alpha move and I'm in Beta. It's intimidating. He swings his leg up at lightning speed. I block with my left arm and he kicks right. I block right and make a motion showing I would break his leg if he wasn't one of us. We step back into starting position and the move is finished. Gabriel turns to his team. "I told you, she's Alpha material" he says. Harper—the Alpha team smart-mouth—steps forward and snorts. "That was basic, Gabe." Gabriel winces at the nickname. He hates that nickname. "It was level five" Gabriel says. He nods to me and I return to my mat. "Still trying to convince 'em isn't he?" T-bone asks, pushing off the wall. I nod and sit beside Gideon just as a red light flashes and a loud bell rings. A new mission.  
We all leave the gym and change into our suits—black body-suits that cover from chin to toe. All four teams assemble in the mission room. It's just the main hall of the Cave but we call it the Mission Room anyway. It lines up as Alpha, Beta, Delta, Zeta from left to right. Nightwing and Batman stand in center floor in front of the transparent computer. "This is a recon mission," Batman's voice echoes in the empty room. "The leader of the Gotham drug cartel will be attending a party in Gotham City. I want Alpha and Beta to disguise as guests and relay information back to the Cave. Where he goes, what he does, who he talks to. Then get back to the cave."**

"**You'll need party clothes for this one. Chloe, Alainna, and Harper will go in while Gideon, T-bone, Eddie, and Jonah wait in Bio Ship three to collect Intel. Load up" Nightwing says. Delta and Zeta walk back toward the gyms. Alainna, Harper, and I change into different clothes while the rest of the team heads to Bio Ship three. I change into white pumps, black leather short-shorts, and a white tank top with ruffles from the chest to the hem making a V. I let down my blonde hair and put on hoop earrings and a little eye makeup. I put on plum-red lipstick and head to the Bio Ship with Alainna. She's wearing black pumps, dark denim shorts, and a mesh long-sleeved shirt that shows her red bra underneath. It's a party, gotta fit in so that we're not noticed.  
T-bone is leaning on the doorway of Bio Ship three when we come into the garage. We walk to Bio Ship three and Alainna walks up the ramp and inside first. T-bone whistles as he looks us up and down. "I wish we had Party missions more often" he says, as I pass into the ship. **

"**Shut up, T" I say, as I sit in a chair next to Gideon. He chuckles and sits in one of the three driver's seats. The bay door opens and we fly out of the mouth in camo-mode. Alpha team is quiet but Beta team talks and jokes around. Gideon makes it a point to show he isn't looking at anything but my eyes. T-bone, on the other hand, doesn't care who sees he's looking. Once we land, Harper, Alainna, and I get out in the alley beside the building where the party is held. Music booms and the building looks like its shaking. I put I my ear piece as we walk toward the front of the building. Harper lays down the game plan as we round the corner toward the door. He stops talking and opens the door for us. Alainna and I instantly go into character and act like dumb blondes (No offense to blondes meant) and walk inside. Harper splits off toward the left, Alainna splits right, and I keep walking straight into the crowd of people and conversation. My hair hides my ear piece but I find myself thinking if I should try to hide it more. I see who looks to be the drug cartel leader in a round booth at the far right corner. "I've got a visual" I say to my right. The ear piece buzzes. **_**"Good, keep a distance" **_**T-bone says. **

"_**Heads up guys, two suits just joined the party. They're heading for the Leader"**_** Amanda says. I glance behind me and see the two men in suits. One carries a silver briefcase. I turn back toward the booth. The men in suits reach the table then all three of them get up and walk to a door behind the stairs to the lounge. Then slide a card and then open the door. They all disappear inside the windowless room and the door shuts. "They left, now what?" I ask. **

"_**Do not engage"**_** Jonah—the Alpha team leader—speaks sternly in my ear. **

"_**Chloe, don't listen to the fuddie-duttie. Go to the door"**_** T-bone says. I look up to the lounge and nod to Harper before casually walking to the door. There are no guards placed in front. I stand in front of the door. **_**"Three-two-one."**_** The door buzzes softly as it unlocks. I pull the gun tucked under my shirt in my belt out and point it to the door and I slowly pull it open. It's an empty hallway with dim, red lights showing the way through. There's a door at the end. I step inside and the door clicks shut behind me. The lights flicker every few minutes as I slowly walk to the other door. **_**"I don't have eyes in there. What do you see, Chloe?"**_** Gideon asks. **

"**There's a door at the end of a hallway." **

"_**There aren't any cameras on the other side of that door. Proceed with caution"**_** Eddie says. **

"_**Whoa, hold up,"**_** I stop moving instantly and listen for him to continue. **_**"There are heat signatures in the next room. Looks like two armed guards, the two men in suits, and the Cartel Leader. Wait for backup."**_** I turn when the door behind me opens and Harper walks into the hallway. He stands beside me and pulls out his gun. He looks at me and nods. I hold onto the door handle and count back from three, "Three…two…one" and yank the door open. Harper goes in and bullets fly into the hallway. The bullets ping off the right side of the hallway. I duck and when there's a break in the gun fire I run in and skirt along the left wall until I'm behind an overturned metal table with Harper. I cock back my gun and aim over the table at one of the suits. I pull the trigger and then duck down. A few bullets hit the wall in front of me. The gun doesn't reverberate in my hands anymore so it's easier to pull the trigger and go. This is why I can pull it and get down in time for the bullets to pass over me. It's a part of the weapons training no one on Beta team participates in but me.  
Harper shoots two times over the table and ducks back down. I hear a cry of pain and I know he's hit someone. "Shoot left, shoot left" he says, reloading his gun. I get up on my knees, aim left, and pull the trigger sending a bullet into the back of an armed guard that was trying to leave out a back door. He hits the ground along with the other three people already dead. One of the men in suits holds a gun to the Drug Cartel Leader as he shoves him out the door. I shoot twice but I'm not fast enough. "Back door" I say. I get up and run to the door. I pull it open and walk outside. It's the alley opposite the Bio Ship. I hold up my gun and aim it at the man in the suit in front of me. "Drop it!" **

"**You first!" **

"**What use is he to you? He smuggles drugs in and out of Gotham" I say. His eyes widen as he looks at me. "You're one of those agents going around and cleaning up the heroes' messes, aren't you?" he asks, pushing the barrel of the gun further into the Leader's shoulder. **

"**Just give me him and get out of here before I decide to shoot you both." Harper appears at my left, his gun aim for the same target as mine. The man in the suit looks between the two of us. He drops the Leader and bolts out of the alley. Harper grabs the Leader and puts hand cuffs on his wrists. I shove my gun back into my belt, snug against my back, and pull my shirt over it. Harper glares at me. "You just love making the boss mad" he says. **

"**What was I supposed to do? Defy an order from Batman or my team leader?" I ask. **

"**I'd have gone with team leader" he says. Amanda walks out of the door behind us with the silver suit case. "This is over three mil. Why would these guys have three million dollars?" she asks. **

"**What can I say? Business is good" the Drug Cartel Leader says. **

"**Shut it, dirt bag" Harper says. **

"**Something isn't right about this. If it was a trade then what was worth three million?" Amanda asks, as the Bio Ship lands to our right. The door opens and Jonah is standing in the doorway, arms folded over his chest. His glare is directed right at me. As if I gave myself the okay to follow. Eddie walks out and takes the Leader from Harper. He drags him into the Bio Ship and puts him in the hold to the left of the door. Amanda and Harper walk into the ship first and I follow. Jonah stops me at the door. "What the hell was that?" he asks. **

"**I followed my orders. Did you follow yours?" I ask. I walk past him into the ship and sit in my chair. **

"**Chloe, you completely jeopardized the entire team," Batman says, staring me down. "What were you thinking?" I glance at T-bone and he nods, ready for me to say he told me to go in. I settle my eyes on Batman and speak without hesitation. "I was thinking we needed Intel. So I followed and ignored orders." **

"**No, she didn't. It was my fault. I gave the go ahead" T-bone says, stepping out of the lineup. Batman looks between the two of us and stay silent. "Well done," Nightwing says, walking into the room. "We've got the Cartel Leader and the stolen three million. Couldn't have asked for a better outcome." He stands beside Batman. "Wait a minute, this was a recon mission" T-bone says. **

"**It was an evaluative test. Beta team passed," Batman says. "When Beta team didn't have cameras, the Cave did so we could monitor your efforts." **

"**And what about the drill?" I ask. **

"**Another test. You passed that one too" Nightwing says. T-bone and I exchange relieved glances. Nightwing steps closer to me. "Where did you learn to shoot like that?" he asks. **

"**Alpha team. They let me sit in while they practice." **

"**You mean **_Gabriel_** lets you sit in during **_his_** practice" T-bone says. Nightwing chuckles and steps back. "Go to bed" he says. Beta team walks to the showers room. Gideon and T-bone split off to the boys' room and I walk into the girls' shower room. I undress and turn on the shower in one of the stalls. I shut the door and lock it. Even though they've never tried, I don't want the boys to come in so I lock it. I guess you could call me self-protective. Also known as **_**Paranoid**_**.  
After my shower I walk to my room in my towel. I change into black shorts and a black tank top—my typical Pj's. I crawl in my bed and close my eyes. **

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**Thanks for reading! Tell me what you think in the reviews!**

**BarnCat23  
XoXo **


	2. Chapter 2

**The Beta Team, Episode 2**

**Training is brutal. Five rounds with T-bone isn't as fun as it may sound. Stephanie is late which is totally unusual for her. I sit on the bench and T-bone chuckles. Even though he's out of breath before I am, he still likes to tease me about not being strong enough to keep. "Come on, we just started" he says. **

"**Yeah, two hours ago" I say. **

"**We still have plenty of time for another round." **

"**You just want a chance to even the score." **

"**No." **

"**Yes, because I won the count today and you can't stand a woman beating you," I stand. "Admit it." **

"**Never gonna happen, Chloe" he says, grinning. **

"**Just like this 'us' you keep bringing up." **

"**Oh, burn!" Gideon says, from the bench. **

"**She's not dating you either moron" T-bone says. **

"**Fight over Stephanie. I have training to do." I walk out of the gym and down the hall to the gun range. I walk inside. Harper, Amanda, and Gabriel are all shooting while Jonah watches. He glares at me as I walk to a station. I assemble my gun in seconds and aim for the red circle on the head of a paper-person. I pull the trigger and a little hole becomes visible on the red. I fire again and again until I've emptied the clip. All the bullets went into the red—as usual. The best shot at the Cave has been in a debate for weeks. It's been between me and Gabriel. Even though we haven't actually participated in any competition, Gideon says I'm winning. Whatever that means.  
I load in a new clip and cock it back. I aim for the heart this time on the paper-person. "Left a quarter inch," someone whispers into my ear. I comply with the instruction when I realizes its Gabriel. "Okay, pull it." I pull the trigger and a hole forms in the dead-center mark of the heart. I hear him step back so I turn around. He's a little too close for my comfort but if he notices he doesn't show it. "You're getting better" he says. **

"**Only 'cause you helped me out" I say. **

"**Hey, you were this close to hitting it." **

"**Yeah, tell that to my pride." I set the gun back down on the table after disassembling it. We walk out of the gun range and join Gideon and T-bone in the hall. "There you two are. It's lunch time" Gideon says, turning to walk down the hall. T-bone glances suspiciously between us. "I don't wanna know" he says. He turns and catches up with Gideon. **

**After lunch, the Beta team and three members of Alpha are called to the mission room. We all line up as Batman and Nightwing walk in the room. They stand by the computer and Nightwing looks at me. "How well acquainted are you with your sister?" he asks. **

"**I visit her every weekend. I was going to visit her tomorrow, actually. May I ask why?" **

"**We need you and the team to do a sweep of her house. She's been reported missing because no one has seen her come in or out of her house in three days. Her son, Jasper, is missing as well." I let his words settle in and wipe my face of any concerned emotion. I simply nod and he continues to the rest of the team. "One of ours is missing. Gather evidence and Intel on what you can about her disappearance. Take Bio Ship three. Suit up." We all split to the changing rooms as throw on our suits. We all meet at Bio Ship three and walk up the ramp inside. T-bone, Gabriel, and Eddie sit in the driver's seats while Gideon, Harper, and I sit in our usual back-seats. The bay door opens and we fly out in Camo-mode.  
We land in front of her house and we all get out. I walk to the front door and knock. "Jinnifer? Jinnifer it's Chloe, you home?" I ask. I look at T-bone and Eddie. I motion for them to go around back and they do. I twist the door knob and the door opens. It's not locked. Bad sign number one. I slowly take a step inside and my nose fills with a putrid smell. I cough a few times from gaging on the smell. Gabriel coughs too as he enters. "What is that smell?" he asks, pinching his nose closed. **

"**It smells like-"**

"**Dead animal" he finishes. I pull my gun out of my belt and walk through the kitchen to the bedroom. I slowly turn the knob and push open the door. There's a form in the bed. It's still. Bad sign number three. I slowly walk to it. In the bed is Jinnifer, her throat slashed, blood everywhere. Her eyes are open and wide, but lifeless. I bite back a sob and look around. The closet door is slightly open. I walk to it and pull it open all the way. Crouched on the floor is Jasper, Jinnifer's seven-year-old son. Tears streak his small face. I kneel and put my gin in my belt. "Hey, remember me?" he nods but doesn't move. "Come here, I'm gonna take you somewhere safe, okay?" he nods again and slowly stands up. I pick him up and his arms wrap tightly around my neck. I cover his eyes with my hand as we pass the bed to the door. I carry him outside and set him down on the swing in the yard. Eddie walks up from behind the house. "I'll stay with him. Go inside" he says. **

"**Jasper, this is my friend. He's a good guy. Can you stay with him?" I ask. He nods and I walk back inside. Gabriel comes out of the guest bedroom. "Nothing in there" he says. I motion for him to follow as I head toward the bedroom. I stand far from the bed as Gabriel enters. "Oh my-Chloe, I'm so sorry" he says. **

"**Please don't say that" I say, holding back a sob. Against my will, tears well up in my eyes. I leave the room and walk out the back door. I can't be inside. I can't look at Jasper without seeing Jinnifer. **_**I can't, I can't, I can't**_**. I crouch down on the grass just off the porch and cover my head with my arms. Silent tears fall from my eyes onto my knees. I haven't cried since I was ten—seven years ago. I thought I had lost the ability to cry until now. It hurts. "Chloe…" I hear Gabriel's voice and I feel embarrassed for crying in front of the team. But I can't stop the tears from coming. I can't stop the wrenching in my chest either. "Don't, please don't" I say, as a sob chokes out. I feel his hand on my shoulder. That's his way of giving a hug. He doesn't give hugs; he puts a hand on your shoulder. It's somewhat reassuring but I still feel like there's an anchor pulling my heart out of my chest. I drop to my knees as another sob comes out. Gabriel pulls me into his arms and holds me tightly. He lost his brother when he was my age so he knows how it feels. It still doesn't explain the hug. I've never been in Gabriel's embrace before. It feels warm and safe. "I can't do it" I say. **

"**What?"**

"**I can't be strong enough." **

"**Don't sell yourself short, kid. You'll get over this" he says. He says **_**kid**_** like he doesn't know what else to call me. He's always called me **_**kid**_** because calling me by my name is to 'intimate'. He's such a stiff. "Is she having a meltdown or something?"**

"**She just found her sister dead, you moron." I can hear T-bone and Gideon talking. If Eddie and Harper are there they aren't making it obvious. "She'll be okay right?"**

"**Of course she'll be okay." **

"**Well I just thought-"**

"**Guys! Shut. Up." Gabriel speaks fiercely to them. They're quiet until I pull myself together and stop crying. I stand and wipe at my eyes. "We need to report our findings back to the Cave" Eddie says. **

"**What about Jasper?" I ask him. **

"**He'll come with us" he says, before walking around the side of the house. I finish wiping all the water from my face and walk around the house. Jasper clings to my legs and I pick him up. I carry him into the Bio Ship and sit in my chair. I sit him in my lap and hold him close to me. Everyone gets in their seats and we close the door. **

**The team is lined up in the mission room while T-bone tells Batman everything from the mission. Once he's done, he steps back into the lineup. I keep my face like steel when Batman turns toward me. "If you need time take it now" he says. I shake my head. "No thank you, I can finish this" I say. He nods and faces the rest of the team. "Everyone rest while the lab analyses the fingerprints you've collected from the house." Gabriel, Eddie, and Harper join Jonah by the beginning of the hallway. I walk down the hallway toward my room. T-bone falls into step with me. "You okay?" he asks, tough but gentle. **

"**I'm fine, T" I say, as we reach my door. He leans on his shoulder on the door so I can't open it. "Talk to me, Chloe. I know something's going on inside your head. What is it?" **

"**Get off my door before I kick you off" I say. He sighs and stands upright. I punch in the passcode and my door slides open. I steps inside and the door closes. I change into jeans and a t-shirt and sit on the end of my twin bed. I run my hand through my blonde hair. My fingers catch on knots at the end and I tug them through. The image of Jinnifer lying dead on her bed, her throat slashed, and wide, dead eyes burns into my brain until I can't see anything else. I can almost feel her blood on my hands. A nock on my door makes me jump and fall off the bed. I take a deep breath and pull myself back up onto the bed. "Yeah?" I ask. **

"**You've been in there quite a while…you alright?" Even though his voice is muffled, I know it's Gabriel. There's something in his voice that separates his from anyone else's. "The truth?" I ask. **

"**The truth." **

"**No. I'm not 'alright'." I hear the beeping of him typing in my pin and then the door slides open. He memorized it when I first came here because I had nightmares and he would talk me through it at 2AM. He steps inside and the door closes. I've been alone with him before but this time feels…different. He sits beside me on the bed. "You see it don't you? Her body?" he asks, quietly. I nod and rub my eyes. He sighs. "I'm not going to tell you you'll be okay. You won't at first. But you'll need to grieve, Chloe. Don't push it off. Don't act like the tough girl we all know you as. You saw your sister dead in her bedroom. You have the right to cry" he says. **

"**Is that what you did? Grieve?" **

"**Yeah." I chuckle suddenly. "What?" he asks. **

"**It's just that I can't imagine you crying." He sighs again. My laughing turns into subtle tears. I feel angry with myself for laughing. I feel angry with myself I wasn't there to help her. I know in my head it wouldn't be possible to stop this in any calculation, but my heart holds onto the notion that it's possible. It makes me feel like a lead weight in a swimming pool. I just keep dropping and dropping but I haven't hit the bottom yet. The tears force themselves out of my eyes and down my cheeks to fall off my chin. Again the tears hurt rather than offer release. "Why her? Why did **_she_** have to die?" I ask. "What did she do wrong enough to deserve death?" **

"**I don't know, kid" he says, gently. I almost laugh when he says **_**kid**_**. I wish he'd stop calling me that. My dad called me kid. And he called Jinnifer kid too. The childhood memories flood my mind. They pull me down like undertow until I'm sobbing into my hands. I feel like there are a thousand knives in my chest and someone is slowly pushing them farther in. Gabriel puts his arm around my shoulders. I cry until my eyes hurt. The tears finally run dry and something replaces my pain: Revenge. I need Revenge. Revenge on the man that slit her throat while her seven-year-old child was in the room. I want it so bad it hurts not to have it. My hands clench into fists on my knees. A wave of anger hits me like a brick. "Did the prints come back yet?" I ask. **

"**Not yet," he says. "Don't try anything, Chloe." **

"**Oh you mean like avenging my sister? No…wouldn't dream of it." **

"**Chloe…." **

"**So you've decided to use my name now huh?" he chuckles, a sound I needed to hear. "I could use **_**kid**_** if you prefer" he says. **

"**No! God no," he laughs at my protest. "My dad called me kid, and it bugged the crap out of me." **

"**My dad called me **_**buddy**_** until I moved out" he says. **

"**Buddy? Seriously?" he nods, looking a little embarrassed by the name. Now he sees how I feel about **_**Kid**_**. He stands and walks to the door. The door slides open and he steps out. The door slides shut and the lock beeps once. **

**I wait until its past lights-out and walk out of my room. I walk to the mission room. Nightwing is typing on the computer when I walk in. I clear my throat loudly and he turns around. "Its past curfew" he says. **

"**I know. But I need to know if those prints came back yet." **

"**Chloe, don't tell me your vying for revenge. That will only end in your dismissal." **

"**I don't care about a personal vendetta. I care about justice and right now we're sitting on our hands while a killer walks free on the streets. You think my sister is the first? That was an experienced kill. Which means there are more in the past and more to still come." **

"**No, they haven't come back yet. You'll be the first to know when they **_**do**_**." **


	3. Chapter 3

**The Beta Team, Episode 3**

**At three Am, the back of my wrist vibrates and flashes red. It's my locator chip that was a mandatory implant when I first joined. I gently touch the skin where it flashes and it stops flashing. I throw on jeans and a shirt and hurry to the mission room. I'm the last one that was called in, because everyone else if here already—All of team Beta and all of team Delta. Delta, despite the place in name, is one of the more experienced teams. The leader of Delta is Thomas Velasquez. The other members line up in order: Amanda Georgie, T.J. Cooper, Savanah Walker, and Dean Kale. They have faces of stone as I squeeze into my place in line between T-bone and Stephanie. To the right of Stephanie is Gideon. I match the stone-faced-ness of Delta team as Batman begins speaking. "The finger prints found at Jinnifer Holland's house belong to Samuel Jackson. He's known for home invasions, he's been arrested fifty-four times in his lifetime, and three of those were for murder."**

"**In other words, this was a paid hit," Nightwing says. "We don't know who he was paid by but he owns a house in Las Vegas. We need you to work together to search the house. We're counting on you to make the call based on facts not personal reasons." He glances at me when he says **_**personal reasons**_**. That just makes me angry. "The lead team on this case is Beta, but in the field both teams are equal. Gather information, report it back, and arrest the man that killed one of our own. Dismissed" Batman says. Delta walks away first. Before I can go, Batman stops me. "To make sure you don't make any rash decisions, we've assigned a supervisor." **

"**Who?" I ask. **

"**Gabriel Summers." I swallow the protest and walk to Bio Ship three in the garage. Gabriel is standing at the bottom of the ramp. I roll my eyes as I walk up the ramp passed him. "I know what you mean" he agrees, following close behind me. He was my shadow once before, when they thought I couldn't be trusted on my own, but I turned out not needing him. I sit in my seat and the cross buckle forms on me, securing me to the seat. Instead of Gideon to my right, it's T.J. "We've met before but I can't place your name" he says. **

"**Chloe Auburn." **

"**Right, now I remember. You were the little girl from the house fire" he says. I nod as the memories come back. I was rescued from my house as it burnt down when I was nine. I was rescued by Gabriel, actually. He was only twelve and he was just starting on Beta. "Sorry, I can't believe I actually said that" he says, shaking his head. **

"**It's fine." I ignore the quiet chatter on the way to Las Vegas. We land West of Samuel Jackson's house and everyone exits the Bio Ship. We stand in our separate groups—Beta opposite Delta. T-bone and Thomas start talking about who is in charge. "Who has been in the field more? Me" Thomas says.**

"**And who isn't a selfish moron? Me. looks like we're tied." Thomas frowns while T-bone grins. No one speaks; we just watch the mini stare down. I step In between them. "Why not collaborate on a plan? You know, together?" I ask. Thomas signs. "Fine. What do you suppose we do?" **

"**We should keep at least three people here in the Bio Ship and send the rest to his house" T-bone says. **

"**This once, rookie," Thomas mutters. He points to T.J., Savanah, and Gideon. "You three stay put." They head into the Bio Ship and close the door. The rest of us put in ear pieces and start walking to Samuel's house using GPS. As we walk, I strap on my gun belt around my waist and my knife to my leg. "Hey, watch out guys. She's going terminator" Dean says, from behind me. I pull my gun out of the belt and pull out the clip. I make sure it's full then shove it back it. I put the gun back into my belt as Amanda says, "Two miles." We travel in two tight lines. Side-by-side it's T-bone and Amanda, me and Gabriel, then Thomas and Dean. "Why do the missions also act as exercise plans?" Dean asks. Gabriel sighs in annoyance and Thomas tells Dean to shut up. We arrive several yards behind Samuel's house. It's a white, two-level cottage with intricate landscaping. We all pull out our guns and line up on the side of the house. "Split up. Amanda, Chloe and I go around the front. Thomas, dean, and Gabe go around back" T-bone says. We all split up. Thomas, Dean, and Gabriel double back and the rest of us creep along the side of the house to the front. Amanda stands beside the front door. T-bone stands directly in front and I stand behind him. Amanda counts to three then opens the door. T-bone charges in and I follow with Amanda right behind. T-bone goes right, Amanda goes up the stairs, and I go left down a hallway. The hallway curves left and a lone door ends it. I slowly turn the knob and pull open the door. A set of stairs leads down into the basement. The only light is what comes through a window. I walk down the stairs, checking both sides as I descend. There's a man slumped over tied to a chair in the far left corner. I walk over. "Who are you?" I ask. He lifts his head like it weighs a thousand pounds and looks at me. Brown eyes, black hair, and a scar above his right eyebrow. "Marcus? What are you doing down here?" I ask. I holster my gun and kneel down to untie him. "Chloe? Why are **_you_** down here? I had this handled" he says. **

"**Yeah, that's why you're strapped to a chair in the basement of a murderer's house." I finish untying him and stand, pulling my gun back out. Marcus stands and wipes blood from his nose. Marcus is-**_was_** Jinnifer's husband. He's a Zeta agent, the same team Jinnifer was on. Zeta is for agents with lives outside of the Cave. He and Jinnifer had lives other than this. I'm not gonna be the one to tell him—I can't. I'll say it wrong or leave something out.  
I lead the way back up the stairs after clearing the basement. We walk down the hall and join everyone in the living room. T-bone raises an eyebrow. "Marcus Holland? Why are you here?" he asks. **

"**Undercover." Is all he says. "The house is clear. Where would he go?" Thomas asks. **

"**He hangs out at a Casino on the strip. He'll be there" Marcus says. **

"**Alright, Dean, Amanda, and I will stay here and collect evidence. The rest of you go do your thing" Thomas says. **

"**There's a car in the garage" Marcus says, walking through the kitchen into the garage. T-bone taps my shoulder making me look at him. He silently asks, "Does he know?" with a questioning look. I shake my head and walk to the garage. A 2016, black Camaro is parked in the garage. Marcus is in the driver's seat. Gabriel and I slide into the back while T-bone gets in the passenger seat. The garage door opens and Marcus stops on the gas. We drive out of the neighborhood toward the Vegas Strip. We park in front of a brightly lit Casino and we all get out. We walk in and my ears are filled with the sounds of slot machines and roulette. "That's him" Marcus says, pointing to a man sitting at a poker table. Just looking at him makes my heart fill with rage. I pull out my gun and walk to the table and stand beside him. I nudge him in the back with the gun. "Are we going to have problems or are you going to come freely?" I ask, quietly. He stands and puts his hands up. I unclip a pair of handcuffs from my belt and pull his hands behind his back. I secure the handcuffs and pull him to the door where Marcus, T-bone, and Gabriel still stand. "So you aren't going to kill me? Not even after I kill your sister?" Samuel asks. I kick him behind the knee and he drops to the floor. "What is he talking about, Chloe?" Marcus asks. I look up at him realizing I'm not the only one that heard that. Now I have to tell him. He's going to rip Samuel to pieces. "Chloe, what is he talking about?" Marcus asks, stepping closer to me. There's a hard lump in my throat. I swallow hard and force myself to speak. "Jinnifer…s-she's dead." Marcus's face twists into pure rage. I shouldn't have said anything. He lunges for Samuel and T-bone and Gabriel grab his arms to hold him back. Now he doesn't look angry. Now Marcus just looks like he's in pain. Like I was when I found Jinnifer lying dead on her bed. Tears well up in my eyes. I walk past them and walk outside. I turn left and walk down the sidewalk away from the Casino. I pull out my ear piece and drop it on the sidewalk.  
**

**I keep walking until its dark and I'm in a small neighborhood north of Las Vegas. I sit on the curb and wipe the stray tears from my face. My wrist flashes red and vibrates. They're tracking me. They'll be here in minutes. I just want to crawl in a dark hole and cry. I want to scream in anger. I'm the lead weight again sinking down in the pool. I still haven't touched the bottom yet and I'm still dropping. The Bio Ship lands on the road a few yards from me. The door opens and Gabriel walks out. He walks to me and kneels in front of me. "You did good, not killing Samuel for revenge. I'm sorry you had to tell Marcus like that." I shrug, forcing back tears. "I guess it happens to everyone. We all lose someone sooner or later" I say. **

"**You know I'll always be here for you if you ever need to talk about it. You're not alone in this, Chloe" he says. **

"**But it feels that way." **

"**I know." It's quiet for a long minute. "Remember when we first met? You were nine and I was twelve. Your eyes were blue back then. Before you got all old." I can't help stifling a laugh. "If I'm old, what does that make you?" I ask. Now he laughs. "A grandpa," he says, standing up. He holds out his hand—something he never does. "This grandpa needs help crossing the street." I take his hand and he pulls me to my feet. We walk to the Bio Ship and up the ramp. It's only when we walk inside and I sit in my chair that our hands are apart. It leaves a tingly imprint on my palm until we get back to the Cave. **

**Both teams line up in the center of the mission room. "Good work today. Samuel is in custody and will be tried for the murder of an agent. And Chloe proved to not need a handler…again," there are loose chuckles from some of the agents. "Dismissed." With a nod from Nightwing, we all split off to our separate rooms. I walk to the shower room and turn into the girls' section. I undress and lock myself in a shower stall. I stand under the hot water for what seems like forever. I turn it off and wrap a towel around my torso. I walk to the counter and look at myself in the mirror. I gasp when I see what I look like. My hair isn't blonde anymore. It's crimson. This happened once years ago. It'll go away just like before. Red isn't really my color and I want my blonde back. I don't know why my hair turns red; no one's been able to tell me why. I brush out the now crimson hair on my head and walk to my room. I put on jeans and a shirt then high-tale-it to the mission room. Thankfully, Nightwing is still here. "Excuse me?" he turns around. "Chloe," he says. "Did you die your hair?" **

"**No, it's doing it again. It lasted for a week last time, and I don't think I can take a week of this red color. Isn't there something I can do to keep this from happening?" he thinks about it for a while. "I don't know. I can talk to some of my colleagues and see what they say." **

"**Thank you. And could you not mention this to everyone else?" he nods and I walk back to my room. I sigh and sit on the end of my bed. Tomorrow isn't going to be fun for me at all, in more ways than one. **


	4. Chapter 4

**The Beta Team, Episode 4**

**I'm fifteen minutes late to the usual training time when I walk into the gym. the door flaps shut behind me and I jog over to the bench next to the Beta team training mat. Stephanie is reading by the lockers across the gym and Gideon and T-bone are sparing hand-to-hand on the mat. I put my water bottle on the bench and it makes a louder thud than I intended. T-bone and Gideon stop what they're doing and look at me. T-bone blinks a few times while Gideon gapes. "Holy-" **

"**Did you die your hair?" T-bone asks. I don't want to go into an hour long discussion about my genetics so I just nod and say, "Yeah." He nods and turns back to Gideon, raising his fists to beginning position. "Looks good" he says, before taking a swing at Gideon, who is still gaping. Gideon acts quickly and ducks, backing up and then concentrating on what's in front of him. I spent three hours trying to die my hair back to blonde, but every time I tried, it faded back to the crimson color it is now. I hate red.  
I stretch my right leg on the bench as I listen to my iPod. I switch legs and change songs. Then I stretch my arms behind my back until I feel a faint pop. I have some issues to discuss with the punching bag this morning. I have way too much anger pent up to spar with the boys. I'd end up really hurting one of them. I walk to the hanging bag in the far right corner of the gym and start a series of punches and kicks. I go through over half the songs on my playlist before I stop to take a breath. I begin again. With every hit to the bag, I relive another horrible memory I want to forget. I see everything in rewind and it all stops at the fire. I can feel the heat of the flames on my skin. I can smell the smoke as is chokes out my lungs. They put me through counseling with Black Canary years ago but it never helped anything. The only way I can get things out is by hitting something.  
The hairs on the back of my neck stand up and I sense someone behind me. Without thinking, I spin around sending my heel through the air. Thankfully T-bone ducked. I pull out my ear buds and he gives me a **_**what for**_** look. "You should know not to sneak up on me" I say. **

"**Apparently. Are you alright? You've been going at it for two hours." **

"**I'm fine." I walk to the bench and pick up my water bottle. Everyone else from Beta has left the gym. Alpha and Delta are still practicing. I sit down on the bench and take a drink. T-bone sits next to me and sighs. "I don't think you're fine."**

"**Well too bad. I'm fine" I say, standing. I walk out of the gym and down the hall to the showers. I spend half an hour scrubbing my hair, trying to get the color out. Nothing works. I high-tale-it back to my room so no one will see my red hair. I put on jeans and a shirt just before my wrist starts vibrating and flashing teal.  
**Red=mission.  
Blue=meal.  
Green=training.  
Teal=team meeting.**  
I brush out my hair and decide to just leave it down instead of trying to hide it in a hat. I leave my room and walk further down the hall to the meeting room. I type in my code and the door slides open. I walk inside and see most of Beta is already here—Stephanie and Gideon. Stephanie eyes me a second then goes back to staring at the distant wall. I walk around the table and sit to the right of Gideon across from Stephanie. A few minutes later, T-bone walks in and sits at the head of the table. "I called you guys here because we need to discuss a few things," he says. "Recent tragedy has separated this team. Stephanie is doing her own thing, Chloe is mourning the loss of her sister, Gideon is the only one showing up to practice on time…we need to work together to get through this rough patch. Because that's all it is: a rough patch…we'll take turns, and each of us will say what's troubling us. Gideon, you start." **

"**Uh…I'm good" Gideon says. T-bone sighs in annoyance. "Fine. Stephanie?" **

"**My parents are getting a divorce" she says, looking up from her book. She looks at me and nods for me to go. There's so much I could say—I **_should_** say—but I don't want to say it to them. And I have no choice. They wait and look at me expectantly. I clear my throat and say, "My sister was murdered…and part of me died with her…I had to tell her husband…my hair is red instead of blonde—don't ask—and I can't change it…and to top off the cherry pie, I feel completely alone. Who's next?" they all stare at me with unreadable expressions. Stephanie goes back to reading her book, not giving me a second glance. Out of the corner of my eye I see Gideon looking at me but I don't look at him. I can't. I feel so embarrassed. I don't open up to anyone but Gabriel and even that is a stretch.  
"So you **_didn't_** die your hair?" Gideon asks. I shake my head. "Nope…I lied. It happens now and then" I say. **

"**And you don't know why?"**

"**No. no one does." **

"**Can't you just die it back?"**

"**I tried that…didn't work out so well." **

"**Red hair looks good on you, you should do it more often" he says. **

"**Really? It does? It never really struck me as a good color for me."**

"**Yeah, it looks cool and different. And it goes great with your tough-girl rep." **

"**Can we get back to the task at hand?" T-bone asks. "We all have things that are hurting us in our lives. We have to get through this as a team. If something's up or you need a day, just say so." **

"**You didn't go" I say. **

"**Yeah, T-bone. What's going on with you?" Gideon asks. Stephanie looks up from her book, intrigued by what he might say. "I'm afraid that's a conversation for specific people" T-bone says, standing and walking to the door. He looked at me when he said **_**specific people**_**. I know what he's talking about but thankfully no one asks what he means as he leaves. I stand and follow after him. When I walk out of the meeting room we're alone in the hall. He leans back on the wall and crosses his arms over his chest. "**_**Specific people**_**? You could've just said you needed to talk to me" I say. **

"**But that's no fun" he says. **

"**What's up?" I ask. He looks down the hall, wheels visibly turning in his head. I know that look. He's debating on whether or not to tell me. He wants to but he's not sure if he should. I step closer and lower my voice. "Chase, what's wrong?" as soon as the word **_**Chase**_** leaves my mouth he looks at me. That got his attention. He hates it when people use his real name. "You know what's wrong, Chloe." His eyes bore into mine as he pushes off the wall. With him standing up straight we're inches apart. I step back and he grabs my hand. "I told you I don't want relationships getting in the way of us working as a team," I say. "I don't think I could make it work. Not even with you." **

"**I know what you said. But a kiss doesn't mean a relationship" he says, taking a step closer. I feel this violent urge to step back so he's not in my personal space. I hate it when people get close to me. But I don't move, I'm stuck like a statue in a park, standing with feet firmly in one place. He pushes a stray strand of red hair behind my ear then leans in close. His lips touch mine barely as if it's a question. To my surprise, I actually press back. He turns us around and pushes me up against the wall. My heart is going a thousand miles an hour, thudding against my chest. I've only kissed two people in my entire life, but they never felt like this. They felt like just a kiss, this feels dangerously good. I feel like I have an angel and a devil on my shoulder telling me what to do. I can either kiss him until I can't kiss him anymore (The devil's idea) or I can back away now and say I just want to be friends (The angel's idea). The more I stand here kissing him the more I want to go with the first idea. But it would be safer if I go with the 2****nd**** idea. We're only a couple of yards from my room. I don't want to do anything but kiss, but he might have other ideas. I guess I have to go with plan B. I break away and slide out from in front of him. He sighs turns to me. "I can't. What I told you still stands" I say. Before he can say anything I walk around him and into my room. That was the right thing to do right? I just hope I don't regret it later. **

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**BarnCat23**

**XoXo **


	5. Chapter 5

**The Beta Team, Episode 5**

**I stay up most of the night. I feel a vibrating at 4AM in my wrist. I see it's flashing red and jump out of bed. I put on my suit and run to the mission room. Everyone is just getting there as I walk in. it's all four teams: Alpha, Beta, Delta, and Zeta. We all line up and stand still. "We need all four teams on this mission. Samuel Jackson has escaped from prison and we need you to track him down. You will not be engaging in the arrest, just tracking. Take Bio Ship three to the prison and work out the details. But we need him found before this time tomorrow. Dismissed" Nightwing says. We all sprint to Bio Ship three and load up. The Bio Ship makes extra seats so we all fit. Once everyone is seated, we take off.  
In an hour we land just outside the prison walls in Virginia. It's a high-security prison that should've held him. We all file out and stand in our team groups. "Alpha goes north, Beta goes east, Delta goes west, and Zeta goes south. Good?" Marcus asks, from his group of Zeta agents. We all split off. Zeta starts walking south and Delta heads off to the west wall of the prison. Beta and Alpha walk together around the wall until we're on the east wall. Beta walks right and Alpha keeps walking to the north side. We all pull out our flashlights and turn them on. We span out in the distance of the wall to scan the area for evidence that points to his escape route. No one in the prison or outside the prison saw his escape. But he somehow got out unseen.  
I walk on the North-East corner line. My breath fogs against the cold air but my suit is insulated so I don't feel the cold on anything but my face. I see frosted footprints in the grass leading further east. "Hey guys, I got something heading east" I say, into the ear piece. **

"_**Follow it, but be careful. We'll join you as soon as we can"**_** T-bone says. I slowly follow the tracks to the road about a mile from the east wall. Remnants of frost scatter the pavement right off the grass. There's more frost heading north up the road. "The prints lead up north. Do I keep following?" **

"_**Yes."**_** I walk up the road and keep walking even when the frost stops. About two miles up from where the frost was, foot prints are outlined on the frosty grass going west and then north again. I keep following the prints as they go in a zig-zag across the grass. This makes no sense. These tracks go from the prison to the road and then back toward the prison. I look up from the prints and stop. There's a neighborhood several yards up. He wasn't trying to escape to get away from the prison. He was trying to get to that neighborhood to kill again. I took criminal behavior classes last year. If he killed once he's going to need to kill again because of the feeling it gave him. It's like doing drugs, you do it once and you have to do it again. It's disgusting.  
I jog to the edge of the neighborhood and stop. "Guys, he went to the neighborhood north-east of the prison. He's going to strike tonight. Do I pursue?" I ask. **

"_**Join Alpha in the north sector of the search in the neighborhood. Follow your tracker"**_** Stephanie says. I touch my wrist and it starts flashing blue-to-purple. I'm about two to three miles east of the Alpha team. I follow the roads of the neighborhood and try to find my way west. I end up getting lost. My tracker is flashing orange-to-purple. I'm at a four way turn on the left side. I don't know what orange means. I'm pretty sure it must mean **_**lost**_** or **_**totally screwed**_**. "Alpha team, this is Chloe. This is gonna sound really stupid. I'm lost." **

"_**I can't get a good ping off your tracker. Where the heck did you go?"**_** Harper asks. **

"**I'm new with this tracker light system, okay? I don't know exactly where I am." **

"_**The best I got is you're about five miles west of me. But you're closer to Gabe. He's two mile north of you." **_

"**Thanks." I start walking north. I'm about a mile out from the closest person now. My tracker flashes green-to-yellow. I start when I hear a gunshot ring through the quiet neighborhood. It sounds close and north. That can't be good. Three more sound off as I sprint north toward the sound. I stop at the mouth of a well-lit alley and someone runs past me and up the sidewalk. I look down the alley and see a body on the ground. I run to the person and kneel down. I gasp. It's Gabriel. There's a pool of blood forming on his right side, closest to me. He looks up at me then down at his side. "It's bad isn't it?" he asks, looking back at me. I look down at his side and see the hole gushing blood. My mind goes through worst case scenarios and tears well up in my eyes. "You're gonna be fine. You'll be alright" I say, my voice betraying me with a tremble. I put my hands over the wound and push down. I use my shoulder to press the button on my ear piece. "We have a man down. Gabriel's been shot" I say into it. **

"_**Hold on, we're coming. We'll call paramedics"**_** Eddie says. **

"**Hurry, he's losing a lot of blood." Blood squeezes out between my fingers and I press harder. His eyes start to close. "Hey, look at me. Gabriel, **_look at me_**" I say. They open barely and he looks up at me. "You're not leaving me that easily." **

"**I'm sorry…" he says, as his eyes slowly start to close again. "…Never told you…."**

"**What? Told me what? Gabriel!" his eyes don't open again and tears fall down my cheeks. "Gabriel, please wake up. Please don't leave me" I say. He doesn't move. I hear sirens far off in the distance. I hear footsteps getting closer until Harper kneels on the opposite side of Gabriel. "Oh my god…is he…?" he asks. I shake my head. "I-I don't…know" I say, in between sobs. He presses two fingers to Gabriel's neck and waits. "It's very weak. He has thirty minutes maybe," he says. "Where is the damn ambulance?" he stands and walks to the road. The ambulance pulls up next to the alley and the medics jump out. They rush over with a stretcher. One kneels down and checks his pulse. "How long has he been out?" she asks me. **

"**A few minutes? I don't know" I say. **

"**Okay, you're doing a great job, just keep pressure on the wound." She comes around next to me and replaces my hands with hers. I stand and step back. My hands are covered in warm, sticky blood. Not just any blood. Gabriel's blood. I'm still crying when my team rushes over to me after they've loaded Gabriel in the ambulance. They all look worried more for me than Gabriel. The ambulance drives away and I see the other teams talking on the sidewalk. They look and stare at me and my bloodied hands. Stephanie steps forward and wraps her arms around me, not caring if blood gets on her suit. "He'll be okay, Chloe" she says. She steps back as Jonah walks over from the rest of Alpha. "The medics said you kept enough pressure on the wound that not enough blood left for him to bleed out. It's nothing you did," he says. His face is as stern as ever but his voice is soft and reassuring. "You couldn't have done anything more. Thank you." I nod as another sob comes out. I can't control my tears anymore. I used to be able to stop them before I even thought of crying. But now I can't help but cry. He turns, nods to T-bone, and then walks back to his team. The Bio Ship lands in the street and the door opens. Stephanie jogs up the ramp inside then comes back out with a towel. She jogs over to me and starts wiping the blood from my hands. Once they're mostly clean, we get on the Bio Ship. Everyone else has already loaded up when I walk in. I sit down and wipe my eyes. We get to the cave and the teams file out and head to the mission room.  
Jonah gives the report while everyone stays quiet. Once he's finished, we're dismissed. I walk to my room and change into jeans and a shirt and a sweater. I take the pony tail out of my hair and brush it out. I leave my room and walk to the garage. The Alpha team is getting into one of the Bio Ships as I walk in. Harper notices me and waves me over. I walk over and he puts his arm around my shoulder as we walk up the ramp. We all sit down and the bay door opens. **

**We land outside the hospital in Virginia that Gabriel was taken to, and we all get out. We walk inside and to the front desk. Two nurses sit behind the circular desk. Jonah steps forward. "We're looking for Gabriel Summers. He was brought in a while ago" he says. **

"**He's still in surgery but you can wait upstairs. Level two, it'll be on your right" one of the nurses says. Jonah nods and we follow him to the elevator. We all pile in and the doors close behind us. The elevator ascends then stops on level two. The doors open and we all walk out. To the right of the elevators is a waiting room with purple carpet and black chairs. Everyone takes a seat but I stand and lean on the waiting-room-divider. I cross my arms and stare at the door labeled **_**ER**_**. I hate waiting. I need to know now if he's okay. He has to be okay. I don't think I could live without having Gabriel around. I couldn't.  
"Chloe, relax. He's going to be fine" Harper says. **

"**I can't **_relax_** until I know for sure that he's okay" I say, still looking at the door to the ER. I see Alainna and Harper share a look. Those two have been joking about Gabriel and I's relationship since I was promoted to Beta. They're like such kids.  
I keep my eyes on the door. I look at the door for I don't know how long until a surgeon walks out and comes to the waiting room. "Are you Gabriel's family?" he asks. Jonah stand along with everyone else and nods. I walk closer so I can hear, and stand to the right of Jonah. "The bullet was lodge in between two arteries. It's going to hurt him a lot for a while, but he'll be fine. We got him stitched up and he's in recovery" the surgeon says. **

"**When can we see him?" I ask. **

"**In about an hour when the anesthetics ware off. I'll have a nurse come get you when you can see him." The surgeon turns and walks back down the hall. I sigh and sit down after everyone else did. I sit next to Eddie, across from Alainna and Harper. "Told you," Harper says. "Even when you break down you still save lives." he turns toward Jonah. "Why isn't she on Alpha?" he asks. **

"**Harper" Jonah says, sternly. Harper holds up his hands and turns away. We wait quietly for a long time. A nurse in a yellow nurse-shirt walks to us. "You can come back now" she says. I'm the first to stand. We all follow the nurse through the doors to the right, down a hall, and past three rooms. We stop at room three-twenty-seven. The nurse holds open the door and I walk in first. To the right in the center of the back wall is Gabriel laying a hospital bed. He's got IV's in his arm and the heart monitor beeps softly. I walk over to his left side and he turns his head to look at me. "Hey, Chloe" he says. He sees the rest of Alpha team standing around. "Hey, guys" he says to them, with a short wave of his hand. **

"**You look like crap, man" Harper says. **

"**I feel like it" Gabriel says. **

"**Guys, let's give them a minute" Jonah says. Everyone files out and Jonah shuts the door behind them. Gabriel looks at me again. "I scared you, didn't I?" he asks. **

"**I thought you were going to die" I say, feeling tears coming on. He takes my hands and pulls me down to sits beside him. "I could never leave you, Chloe" he says. I wrap my arms around his neck and burry my face in his shoulder. He returns my hug, wrapping his arms around my waist. I start crying when I say, "Don't do that again." He chuckles. "Trust me, I won't." we sit there, holding each other, until I stop crying. I pull back and wipe my eyes. "Before you passed out in the alley, you said you were going to tell me something. What was it?" I ask. He blinks a few times and clears his throat. "Um, I thought I was going to die and, um, I was just going to tell you what you meant to me" he says. Inwardly I gasp. I didn't think I meant **_that_** much to him that he'd be confessing things on his death bed. I feel my cheeks get warmer. I'm blushing, great. "Oh. And what were you going to say specifically?" I ask, knowing he'll scramble for a non-embarrassing answer. He clears his throat again. "Um…just that…" his words trail off as his eyes flit around the room. I love it when I can make him so flustered he can't speak. It doesn't happen often but when it does it's funny. He looks back at me and his gaze meets mine. He puts his right hand on the back of my neck and pulls me to him in one swift motion. His lips meet mine and my stomach flutters. To be honest, I haven't even thought of kissing Gabriel. I mean of course he's gorgeous, but it never really crossed my mind. It wasn't a foreseeable possibility.  
His lips are soft against mine. I run my hand through his hair and he pulls me closer. I completely melt into his touch and lean into him. He kisses my cheek then my neck and back to my lips. Every kiss is laced with a deep passion that makes my skin tingle. He pulls away and rests his forehead on mine. "I was gonna tell you that, only in words" he says, quietly. **

"**I liked this version better" I say. He pulls away suddenly and looks at a strand of my hair. "It changed again?" he asks. **

"**Yeah, it did a few days ago. Shows how much attention you pay to me" I joke. He chuckles and drops my hair. I hear the door open and I twist around to see Harper walk in with a smug look on his face. "You guys know there's a window right?" he asks, pointing to the window. I feel my cheeks heat up again. "This means I won the bet" he says. **

"**What **_bet_**?" I ask. **

"**Alainna and I had a running bet that if you two ended up kissing I won, if you didn't she won. She's the girl, she should've predicted this. But **_I_** won." He turns and leaves, shutting the door. I turn back around toward Gabriel. "You're blushing" he says, grinning. **

"**I'm a girl, of course I'm blushing" I say. I hear the door open again and twist around to see the nurse walk in. "It's ten thirty, and visiting hours are over" she says. **

"**Can I stay overnight?" I ask. **

"**You'd need parental consent" she says. Jonah steps inside. "Where do I sign?" he asks her. She leads him back out of the room and they close the door. I twist back around and I stand. "Where are you going?"**

"**The chair. You need to sleep" I say. **

"**Come here." He grabs my hand and pulls me down beside him so that I'm lying against him with my head on his chest. "Good night" he whispers, just before kissing the top of my head. **

"**Good night." **


	6. Chapter 6

**((Author's Note))**

**I have a piece of advice for the Guest that left a review for my story: If you don't like it, don't read it, and don't bother being a jerk in a review. And if you're going to be critical, then do it nicely not "Your writing is atrocious". If you don't like OC's then don't read stories with OC's in them. I know you're probably not reading this because you don't like my story, but I'm just putting it out there for future readers. Oh, and I Bold everything because I like Bold. Deal with it. **

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**The Beta Team, Episode 6**

**I just finish my shower when my tracker flashes Teal and vibrates. Time for part two of the team meeting. I hate team meetings.  
I hurry to my room and put clothes on. I dry my red hair and walk to the meeting room. I type my code in and the door hisses open. Everyone is already there, sitting in their usual seats, when I walk in. this time I sit by the door at the end of the table. "Now that we're all here, let's start things off by saying something good that happened to us this week. Gideon, start us off" T-bone says. **

"**I got an A on my math test…" he says. **

"**Okay…Stephanie, go." **

"**My parents are trying to work things out, and they actually looked happy together" she says. **

"**Great. Chloe?" **

"**Gabriel didn't die…so, that's pretty much it for me" I say. I leave out the part where Gabriel kissed me. If this wasn't my team, I would probably put that as my number one good thing this week. "Okay, we're getting somewhere. I spoke with Black Canary and she gave me some ideas to help us out. So we're going to take turns saying something we've never told anyone. Gideon, go." **

"**I forgot to feed my gold fish when I was eight…I told my mom I fed him but I didn't" he says. T-bone sighs. "I guess that counts. Stephanie, go." **

"**Um…I accidentally exploded my brother's volcano and blamed it on the dog. He believed me, too, which is the sad part" she says. **

"**Okay, Chloe?" **

"**I put a red sock in the washer with my dad's white work pants. That's the best I can think of" I say. **

"**Well, at least everyone is cooperating. Let's pick this up tomorrow" T-bone says. We all leave the meeting room and split off. Stephanie goes to the living room, Gideon goes to his room, T-bone goes to the gym, and I walk to my room. I put on my black leather jacket and my grey sneakers. I put my hair up in a ponytail so the red in less obvious and walk up the hallway toward the mission room. "Hey, where you going?" Harper falls into step beside me. He's so annoying. I sigh and say, "To the hospital in Virginia. Gabriel's getting out today." **

"**Ooooh, I see" he says. **

"**There's no **_**Ooooh**_** about it." **

"**Of course there is, you and Gabe are **_involved_**" he says. **

"**Oh, shut up already" I say, as he laughs. He follows me to the garage. We walk inside and to Bio Ship three—the usual Beta transportation. I type the Beta team code into the side and the ramp falls down. "You know how to fly this thing?" Harper asks. **

"**No, that's why you're tagging along" I say, glancing back at him as I walk up the ramp. I hear him sigh as I walk inside. I sit down one of the seats and Harper sits in the driver's seat. The ramp folds back up and the bay door opens. We fly out in Camo-mode and start down the coast. We land outside the hospital in Richmond, Virginia. Harper and I walk out of the Bio Ship and inside the Hospital. We walk to the front desk and the two same nurses from last time are behind the desk. They smile when they see me. One of them stands and walks around the desk. "I'll take you up" she says. She leads us to the elevator and we all get in. the elevator goes up one floor and stops on level two. The doors open and the nurse leads us through the doors to the left of the waiting room and past a few doors until we're at Gabriel's room. She holds open the door and we walk in. Gabriel is sitting on the edge of the hospital bed and the doctor is re-bandaging his side. So to answer your question, yes his shirt is off. He looks over and sees us. "Oh, hey guys" he says. **

"**Hey, Gabe" Harper says, glancing at me with a grin. I hit his arm. "Get your mind out of the gutter" I say. He rubs his arm where I hit him and says, "I'm gonna wait outside." He turns and walks out of the room. I sigh and turn back to Gabriel. The doctor finishes bandaging him and steps back. "Change that twice a day and try not to get it wet. Don't do anything laborious until the stitches have come out" he says. Gabriel nods and carefully pulls on a shirt. The doctor nods at me as he leaves. I walk over and stand in front of Gabriel. "Does it hurt?" I ask. **

"**A little, but it's nothing I haven't felt before" he says. I remember all of the training sessions that I would beat him. We were both sore after those sessions. "So, when are you checking out?" I ask. **

"**In a few minutes. The nurse wants to go over the bandaging instructions with me before I go." **

"**Good, I don't think Harper can stand being in one place for more than twenty minutes" I say, looking at Harper pace in the hall through the window. Gabriel chuckles and takes my hand in his. He weaves his fingers in with mine and pulls me a step or two closer. When Gabriel is sitting down, we're the same height. He snakes his arm around my waist and pulls me against him. "You know Harper's watching right?" I ask. **

"**I'm done hiding how I feel about you" he says. He leans forward and presses his lips against mine. It's gentle but urgent with the same passion that makes my skin tingle. His touch sends fire through my veins that radiates through my skin. He kisses down my law line and down my neck then back to my lips. All the things that have happened to me this week drift away and all that's left is how Gabriel makes me feel: like a firefly that's spent it's life in a jar and someone finally lifted the lid to let it out. The kiss lasts forever and ends too soon. **

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**Well, I hope those who like it or have HELPFUL advice Review! Please & Thanks!**

**BarnCat23**

**XoXo **


	7. Chapter 7

**The Beta Team, Episode 7**

**Five minutes after training, my tracker flashes through all the main colors—red, green, blue, yellow, orange, and purple. That means I'm being called to the mission room. It's happened a few times before, back when I was just starting. I head to the mission room. Nightwing and Batman stand by the computer waiting as I walk in. I stand a few feet away and wait. "After careful observation, we've decided for you to move to Alpha team" Nightwing says. **

"**Are you serious?" I ask. **

"**Yes, I'm serious. You're now officially apart of Alpha. We'll notify Beta about the change," he says. "Dismissed." I nod and walk down the hallway. I can't believe it. I'm finally in Alpha. I pinch my arm to make sure I'm not dreaming. "You look happy" Stephanie says, walking out of the gym as I pass it. I stop and she walks over to me. "I got promoted to Alpha" I say. She gasps and hugs me. "Oh my god, Chloe, that's amazing!" she says. She steps back smiling. I suddenly feel bad, because I know I'll miss that. I try my best to smile back. "A little birdie told me you and Gabriel and starting something" she says, in her gossip tone. **

"**By 'little birdie' you mean Harper" I say. **

"**Yeah, okay, Harper told me about it. But he's not the one with the juicy details. Spill, girl" she says. **

"**What is there to spill? We kissed."**

"**Yeah, but was it good, really good, or super good?" **

"**I don't know I haven't kissed that many guys."**

"**Okay then how did it make you feel: good, really good, or super good?" **

"**Super good" I say, shyly. She laughs and behind her T-bone and Gideon walk out of the gym. Stephanie turns around. "Guys, you'll never guess what happened" she says. **

"**What happened?" T-bone asks. **

"**Chloe got promoted to Alpha!" Gideon gasps and T-bone nods. "Figured it'd happen sooner or later. But I'm sensing that's not what this conversation is about." **

"**Chloe also has a boyfriend." I gasp and grab Stephanie's arm. She gives me the **_**what for**_** look and I shake my head. T-bone crosses his arms with an amused look on his face. "Oh, really?" he asks, looking right at me. "Who's the lucky sap?" Stephanie opens her mouth to speak and I cover my face with my hands. "Gabriel Summers" she says. I hear Gideon laughing. I remove my hands from my face. T-bone has hurt written all over his face and I can't look at him. Stephanie frowns. "What's wrong? We all expected this" she says. T-bone shakes his head and walks up the hall to his room. "Damn it" I say, under my breath. I turn and walk down the hallway to the end and turn left. I turn left at another hallway—the Alpha team hallway. I walk up the hallway until I reach Gabriel's door. Even now that there's more going on between us, I always tell Gabriel everything. And that's not going to change. I sigh and knock on the door. "Who is it?"**

"**It's Chloe. Can we talk?" I ask. A few shuffles later the door hisses open. Gabriel stands in the doorway wearing nothing but jeans with an eyebrow raised. "Usually this is the other way around," he says. "You okay?" **

"**Not really. Stephanie had to go and open her big mouth and messed up everything. I'm pretty sure T-bone hates me now" I say, trying my best to just look at his face. He steps aside. "Come in." I walk in and the door hisses shut. I've never been in his room before, but now that I am, I see it looks just like mine. "What did Stephanie say to him?" he asks, walking around me. **

"**She said you were my new boyfriend" I say. He turns to me and grins. "And that's bad?" he asks. **

"**Well, I was trying to keep a friendship going with T-bone, but now he's just pissed because he thinks I've betrayed him somehow" I say. **

"**Betrayed him?"**

"**A long time ago I enforced rules. I didn't want anything romantic going on inside the team, but he did and now he hates me." **

"**Chloe, he probably just needs a minute to let it sink in and to get over it. He doesn't hate you" he says. **

"**Gideon laughed, which was embarrassing. I don't know what to do with them anymore." **

"**They're your friends. This is what happens in a circle of friends. You'll work it out, it's not permanent" he says. I sigh and cross my arms. "Yeah…you're probably right" I say. **

"**I'm always right," he says. "Especially when it comes to you." He steps forward and takes my hands in his. "It'll be alright. Don't fret about it." He places a lingering kiss on my forehead. His lips brush over my nose before they collide with mine. I instantly sense what he's thinking. He's just wearing jeans. I'm wearing shorts and a tank top. And we're in his **_**room**_**. 2+2=4. I step back and he raises an eyebrow at me. "Did I do something wrong?" he asks. **

"**No…it's just, you know, we're in your room and we're not wearing the modest of clothes…" I say. He blinks a few times like he gets it. "Oh…I wasn't going to-that wasn't what—I'm sorry I gave the wrong impression" he says, nervously. **

"**It's fine, I should get going anyway" I say. I turn and leave the room before he can say anything else. The door slides shut behind me and I sigh. I escaped that one. But how long into the relationship until he asks for what I'm uncomfortable with? I run my hand over my face and walk back to Beta hall. Just as I round the corner, my wrist flashes red. I instantly sprint to my room, change into my suit, and run to the mission room. Alpha and Beta are lined up. I squeeze into my new place among the Alpha team and Nightwing gives us the low-down. "This is a high priority mission that is to be handled with care. Samuel Jackson is in turn not who we thought he was. Samuel Jackson is an alias he's used in twelve states. His real name is Dr. Harold Geraldin, lead scientist on a Star Labs project called Vertigo. We need you to get in and investigate without making a scene. Do not engage at all costs. Dismissed" he says. We all race to Bio Ship three and get in our seats before the bay door opens. **

**We land in Star City on the roof of the building next to Star Labs. We discuss the plan inside the Bio Ship. "Alpha will split up and search levels two through five, and Beta will search levels six through nine" Jonah says. We all sick in our ear pieces and I strap on my gun belt and knife. We exit the Bio Ship and creep along the roof to the access door. We all pull out our weapons as Jonah opens the door. Eddie leads the way down the staircase to level two. Alpha team stops but Beta keeps descending down the stairs. Eddie opens the door to level two and Harper walks in first. Eddie walks in followed by Alainna and Jonah. I follow in after them. Harper and Eddie turn right and start searching that way, Jonah and Alainna split off left, and I head down the hallway in front of the door. The lights are off but the moon and street lights shine in the floor-to-ceiling windows. **_**"Going down to three"**_** Harper says.**

"_**Going to four"**_** Alainna says.**

"_**Heading to five"**_** Eddie says. **

"_**Be thorough"**_** Jonah says. With all the chatter in my right ear, I barely here the door next to me open in time to hide around the corner. I slowly peer around the wall. A security guard shuts the door behind him and walks this way. I get back behind the wall and count to three in my head. Just as the security guard steps out from behind the wall I hit him in the neck by the shoulder on a nerve and he falls to the ground unconscious. I take a deep breath and step over him to walk further down the hall. **_**"Chloe, find anything?"**_** Jonah asks in my ear. **

"**No, not yet. Had some trouble with a security guard but I took care of him" I whisper. **

"_**Did he see you?"**_

"**No, I'm good." I walk to the door across from the one the security guard came out of and open it slowly. Inside is a small office with a desk and a few bookcases. I search the office, going through drawers and checking all the books. Nothing. I shut the door behind me and continue down the hallway. I check three more rooms before circling back to the stairwell door. "Third hallway is clear, Jonah" I whisper into my ear piece. **

"_**Good, make your way to level six."**_** I open the stairwell door and take the stairs two at a time until I get to the level six door. I open the door and a weird smell fills my nose. I recognize it as a military grad Helium solution called Balerium. I quickly cover my nose and mouth with my left arm and keep walking inside. Balerium is a type of nerve gas that is commonly diluted with water to make a mist that makes you unconscious within five minutes of a deep inhale. It can also be lethal if you breathe in too much. There's a fog covering most of my visibility. I find a door handle along the left wall and open it. I quickly get inside the room and shut the door. An air filter turns on and the fog dissipates in the room. I remove my arm from my face and sniff. No Balerium. "Jonah, don't let anyone on level six. There's a high level of Balerium covering the place" I say into my ear piece. **

"_**Balerium? Why such a high powered gas?" **_

"**I don't know" I say, in between coughs.**

"_**Did you breathe any in?"**_** he asks. **

"**A little on my way in." **

"_**You may be infected. I'll use your tracker to relay vital signs to the Cave."**_** I cough several more times and glance around the room. It's empty except for a few filing cabinets along the far wall. I lean back against the wall behind me and slide down to the ground. I cough a few more times before I hear Jonah's voice again. **_**"You're infected, Chloe"**_** he says. **

"**How long do I have?"**

"_**Two hours at the most. I've got people working on an antidote." **_

"**Is there time for that?"**

"_**I don't know, but we have to try. I've notified the Cave of your predicament."**_** Leave it to Jonah to use words like **_**Predicament**_**. My throat burns and I keep coughing. **_**"We've found a camera in the room and we're monitoring your vitals"**_** he says. My head feels really light and heavy at the same time. I don't have time for an antidote. I'm going to die. It's inevitable. I breathed in too much of it on my way in. I wasn't careful and now I will die for that mistake. I can imagine what my Beta team is doing now. They're probably beside themselves. Or at least I hope they still care enough to be beside themselves. Oh no. Gabriel. He's probably having a heart attack. They can see me in the cave so he knows I'm still alive. For now. **_**"We've patched a line to the Cave from the speakers in the room so they can hear you and you can hear them"**_** Jonah says. **

"**Great, wonderful," I cough a few times. "Because I want people to hear and see me as I die." **

"_**You aren't going to die, Chloe."**_** Gabriel's voice echoes in the room. I cough a few more times and my voice becomes a hardly audible rasp. "Yes, I am," I say. "Balerium in deadly. Look it up." **

"_**Chloe,"**_** I hear something in the back ground that sounds like he hit something. **_**"You didn't give up on me and I'm not gonna give up on you. Don't you dare give up yet."**_** My breathing becomes a sharp, raspy pain in my chest. I cough painfully again. "I don't have a choice, Gabriel. Tell Marcus I'm sorry about Jinnifer" I say. **

"_**I'm not gonna-"**_

"**Gabriel, please just tell him." **

"_**Alright, I will. But you'll be here to tell him yourself soon"**_** he says. **

"**You said how you felt about me but I never had a chance to say how I felt about you,"**

"_**Chloe, don't." **_

"**I need to say this. For years you were the only person I could talk to, the only person I could share my secrets with. You were the one I turned to when I was upset and needed a friend. I can't thank you enough for being there for me." **

"_**Chloe…please." **_

"**Listen, Gabriel. No matter what happens to me in this room, just know that," I cough twice before continuing. "Just know that I love you." **

"_**I love you, too. Forever and always, Chloe"**_** he says. **

"**Forever and always" I repeat. **

"_**Chloe, just hang on a few more minutes"**_** Jonah says in my ear. I fight to keep my eyes open as my throat tightens. After a minute of fighting it, my eyes fall closed and my vision goes black. **


End file.
